Semifinals in review, and what it all means
Class 6A
*Carrollton 30, Buford 17: No. 1-ranked Carrollton outscored No. 2 Buford 16-0 after a game-changing forced fumble with 4:42 left in the third quarter. Buford had a first down at the Carrollton 14 when Carrollton’s Kadan Spratling forced the turnover on a quarterback run. Carrollton drove 80 yards for a 21-17 lead and never relinquished the momentum. Kimauri Farmer rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Julian Lewis was 15-of-18 passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Spratling, Zion Cooley and Landon Wolfe each had two tackles for losses. Buford led 311-297 in total yards. The critical turnover ended a 15-play, seven-minute drive that opened the second half.
What it means: Carrollton is one victory from its eighth state title, first since 1998, first in the highest classification and first in the three-year career of AJC Super 11 quarterback Lewis, who is 39-3 as a starter. Carrollton (14-0) can complete its first unbeaten season since 1961. Buford finished 12-2 and remains without a championship appearance in its three seasons in the highest class.
*Grayson 35, Douglas County 28: After trailing 21-6 at halftime, Grayson scored on its first three possessions of the second half and broke a 28-28 tie on Travis Burgess’s 41-yard pass to Alex Sanchez in the final two minutes. Joel Bradford rushed for 86 yards and three touchdowns. Ashton Turner rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown. Both are sophomores.
What it means: Grayson (13-1) won its 13th consecutive game, second in a row after trailing by 10 points or more, and reached the finals for the fourth time in history, each under a different coach as Santavious Bryant joined Mickey Conn (2011), Jeff Herron (2016) and Adam Carter (2020), who won their title games. Douglas County, ranked No. 4, fell short in its bid to reach a title game for the first time since 1964 and finished 11-3.
Class 5A
*Hughes 49, Coffee 26: No. 4 Hughes led 28-10 at halftime, and No. 7 Coffee got no closer than 17 points in the second half. Christian Langford was 6-of-9 passing for 222 yards and four touchdowns, one a 70-yarder to Maurice Gleaton. Carsyn Baker rushed for 107 yards. Jabari Jones scored two touchdowns receiving and one rushing and returned a punt 67 yards. Coffee’s Tyrese Woodgett, who rushed for a state-record 605 yards in the quarterfinals against Sequoyah, rushed for 250 yards and a touchdown on 50 carries in his final high school game.
What it means: Hughes (13-1) is in the finals for the second time in three seasons, first since its 2022 Class 6A title. Coffee, the defending champion, finished 11-3.
*Milton 56, Lee County 28: No. 1 Milton scored on five straight possessions starting midway in the second quarter to break open what had been a 21-21 game. Three of the scores were passes of 23, 65 and 61 yards from Luke Nickel to C.J. Wiley. Nickel was 12-of-19 for 302 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Wiley had five receptions for 165 yards. T.J. Lester rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Lee County QB Weston Bryan rushed for 282 yards and four touchdowns, though was 4-of-10 passing for 50 yards and two interceptions. Ousmane Kromah, an AJC Super 11 pick who signed with Florida State, had 117 scrimmage yards on 20 touches. Milton led 589-401 in total yards.
What it means: Milton (14-0) will carry a 24-game winning streak and several top-five national rankings into the final in a bid to win its second straight championship and third in seven seasons. Second-ranked Lee County (13-1) finished with 745 points scored this season, the third-highest total in GHSA history.
Class 4A
*Marist 27, Creekside 21: After trailing 14-6 at halftime, Marist scored touchdowns on its only three drives of the second half and scored the game-winner on Brayden Lewis’s 15-yard run with 1:43 left. Trace Gaynes rushed for 104 yards on five carries. Jack Euart rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries and was 3-of-5 passing for 27 yards. Jack Richerson had three tackles for losses. Creekside led 335-295 in total yards.
What it means: Marist, ranked No. 1 since late August, improved to 14-0 and can win its fourth state title, first since 2020, all under 40th-year coach Alan Chadwick. No. 10 Creekside, a Class 5A runner-up last season, finished 10-3 after an 0-2 start.
*North Oconee 27, Blessed Trinity 7: No. 3 North Oconee held No. 4 Blessed Trinity to 163 total yards and overcame three turnovers, one on the game’s first scrimmage play, leading to Blessed Trinity’s lone touchdown. Harrison Faulkner was 10-of-18 passing for 122 yards, and North Oconee got most of its 76 rushing yards on Landon Roldan’s 42-yard run for a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. North Oconee blocked a field-goal attempt that Patrick Elliott returned 70 yards for a touchdown.
What it means: North Oconee, a 21-year-old school, won its 29th straight home game, improved to 14-0 on the season and reached the finals for the first time after losing in semifinals in 2021 and 2022. Blessed Trinity (12-2) failed in its bid to reach its first final since its 2019 Class 4A title and finished 11-2.
Class 3A
*Jefferson 21, LaGrange 13: No. 3 Jefferson never trailed and led 21-7 in the fourth quarter, then survived LaGrange’s final play, an 18-yard pass into the end zone that Malachi Fannin-Render caught but was ruled out of bounds after a brief officials chat. Jefferson’s Gavin Markey rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and was 7-of-13 passing for 141 yards. Jefferson led 363-308 in total yards.
What it means: Jefferson, a semifinalist in Class 5A last season and the preseason No. 1 in this class, is in the finals for the first time since 2020 and chasing its first title since 2012. LaGrange, the only unranked team in the semifinals, settles for its best playoff run since 2008 and finished 10-4.
*Calhoun 35, Stephenson 13: Calhoun led only 14-7 at halftime but scored on five of its first six possessions and led in total yards 415-254. Freshman Trace Hawkins was 14-of-16 passing for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Emaree Winston had six receptions for 128 yards. Hudson Chadwick rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown.
What it means: No. 7 Calhoun (11-3) is in the finals for the 10th time, first since 2021, and is seeking its first title since 2017. No. 8 Stephenson fell short of its first state final and finished 10-4.
Class 2A
*Burke County 35, Rockmart 22: Third-ranked Burke County led 21-3 in the first quarter and 35-9 at halftime. Kel’von Scott rushed for 169 yards on 12 carries and returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. A’merre Williams rushed for 79 yards, the 1,600-yard rusher's first game under 140 in the playoffs.
What it means: Burke County is in the finals for the first time since its 2011 Class 3A championship. Second-year coach Franklin Stephens, a Burke County alumnus, is in the finals with his third team after Tucker and Lamar County. Rockmart, ranked No. 8 and seeded No. 1, finished 11-3 after a 2023 runner-up finish.
*Carver (Columbus) 49, Appling County 6: Carver allowed 54 total yards and forced a safety and three turnovers, one a fumble that Antavius Watts returned for a touchdown. Daijon Daniels had three tackles for losses. Matthew Mungin was 9-of-18 passing for 143 yards. JaKobe Caslin had 106 scrimmage yards on 13 touches. Kelston Tarver had 139 scrimmage yards on 12 touches.
What it means: Carver, which ascended to the No. 1 ranking after the final week of the regular season, is in the finals for the first time since 2021 and seeking its first title since 2007. Appling County finished 10-4 and fell to 0-5 all-time in semifinals.
Class A Division I
*Toombs County 42, Dublin 15: T.J. Stanley was 10-of-12 passing for 152 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards on 11 carries. Lagonza Hayward, who signed with Florida last week, had four receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns and made five tackles. Zyrese Scott had three tackles for losses. Dublin, a wing-T team averaging 349.8 rushing yards per game, was limited to 240 rushing yards on 47 carries.
What it means: Toombs County, ranked No. 1 since preseason, reached the finals for the first time in its 38 seasons. Dublin, ranked No. 2, finished 13-1 and short of its first title appearance since its 2019 Class 2A championship.
*Northeast 46, Fitzgerald 14: Nick Woodford, a week after rushing for 374 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries against Fannin County, rushed for 350 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries and caught a 27-yard TD pass. Reginald Glover was 7-of-11 passing for 139 yards and rushed for 85 yards on 10 carries. Fitzgerald’s Victor Copeland, who rushed for 417 yards in the quarterfinals, rushed for 122 yards on 12 carries. Northeast led 25-0 at halftime.
What it means: Northeast, ranked No. 5, became the first Macon school to reach a GHSA final since Central won Class 3A, then the highest, in 1975. Fitzgerald, ranked No. 10, finished 10-4 after its fifth straight semifinal appearance.
Class A Division II
*Brooks County 17, Manchester 14: No. 4 Brooks County stopped No. 1 Manchester on a fourth-and-1 at the Brooks’ 6-yard line in the first overtime, and Rafael Mojica kicked a 23-yard field goal on fourth-and-2 from the 7 to win the game. Brooks County had only 10 total yards in its first five possessions but scored its first touchdown after Camauri Brinson returned an interception 27 yards to Manchester’s 1-yard line. Junior Burrus was limited to 5-of-11 passing for 76 yards, but his 49-yard TD pass to George Lamons gave Brooks County a 14-6 lead just before halftime. Chris Cole rushed for 114 yards on 22 carries. Brooks County trailed 323-212 in total yards.
What it means: Brooks County (10-4) reached the finals for the first time since its 2021 Class A Public championship. Josh McFather is the only first-year coach in the finals. Manchester, the No. 1-ranked team since mid-October, finished 10-2 and fell short of its second straight finals appearance.
*Bowdon 42, Irwin County 28: No. 2 Bowdon never punted and never trailed, though No. 3 Irwin County was within 35-28 entering the fourth quarter. Bowdon's Charles Maxwell was 10-of-16 passing for 127 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 175 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries. Nate Bhony rushed for 89 yards on 11 carries. Irwin County had 517 total yards, 303 rushing, but Bowdon had two fourth-down stops and made a tackle on the 1-yard line to end the first half.
What it means: Bowdon can become the 14th school in GHSA history to win three straight state championships. Irwin County failed to win a fourth straight playoff road game and finished 12-2, short of what would’ve been the Indians’ first final since 2021.
Class 3A-A private
*Hebron Christian 24, Fellowship Christian 17: Jarvis Mathurin scored on a 77-yard run to break a 17-17 tie with 8:51 left, and Fellowship didn’t mount a serious threat from there. Hebron rushed for 306 yards as a team. Mathurin rushed for 118 yards on eight carries. Quarterback Thomas Stallworth rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
What it means: Hebron Christian, playing its 17th full varsity season, is in its first final. Coach Jonathan Gess, who won six state championships while coach at Eagle’s Landing Christian, is in his eighth. Fellowship Christian finished 10-3 after its fourth semifinal loss in six seasons.
*Prince Avenue Christian 43, North Cobb Christian 0: Ben Musser was 18-of-28 passing for 214 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Andrew Beard, who rushed for 361 yards in the quarterfinals, rushed for 62 yards on 10 carries. Mac Bradley had three tackles for losses.
What it means: Prince Avenue Christian became the seventh team to reach five straight finals and can become the 14th to win three straight state championships. North Cobb Christian, which upset No. 1 Savannah Christian in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals for the first time, finished 11-2.